The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale Collected More than Two Million Pounds of Donations to Benefit Goodwill® and the People it Serves

Donations Will Help Fund 300,000 Hours of Job Training Services

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Apr 27, 2015, 08:00 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During the Spring Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale, which took place from March 12 to March 28, donors brought in donations of clothing, shoes, handbags and household textiles they no longer needed to 270 Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers store locations. In return for their donations, customers received coupons toward new fashion and home merchandise at Bon-Ton stores. Customers also had the opportunity to make cash donations in exchange for additional Bon-Ton discount coupons which contributed an additional $492,000 to strengthen Goodwill's mission in communities across the Bon-Ton footprint.

Donations are sold in Goodwill stores, and the revenues will help fund employment placement, training and community services such as career counseling, child care, financial education, mentoring, transportation and many other services. The partnership between The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. and Goodwill Industries International collected more than 2.1 million pounds of clothing and textiles to benefit Goodwill's mission. The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale is the largest and longest-standing department store donation drive with Goodwill. Collectively, cash and textile donations from this spring's Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale will provide an estimated 300,000 hours of job training services to people who face challenges to finding employment.

"For more than 20 years, Goodwill has been proud to partner with Bon-Ton to bring opportunities to people in more communities," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "We are grateful for their customers' donations and the philanthropic commitment of the Bon-Ton Stores to helping people in our local communities."

Goodwill provides job placement and community services to people with disabilities, those who need education and work experience, and others who are unemployed or underemployed. Last year, more than 9.8 million people benefited from Goodwill programs.

"The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale has been a time-honored tradition for Bon-Ton customers for more than two decades," said Kathryn Bufano, president and CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "With the generosity of our customers, this charitable event has made a huge local impact to help fund Goodwill's job placement and training services which help strengthen our community."

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 20 most inspiring companies (Forbes, 2014). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job placement programs and other community-based services by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food services preparation, and document imaging and shredding. To learn more about Goodwill's services or to find your local Goodwill agency, visit goodwill.org.

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at Goodwill.org or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 270 department stores, which includes nine furniture galleries and four clearance centers, in 26 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves.

For store locations and information visit www.bonton.com. Join the conversation and be inspired by following Bon-Ton on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and the new fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, #LoveStyle. http://www.facebook.com/GoodwillIntl

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International